Mechanosensation: Alpha-7 nAChR transduces sound signals in earless C. elegans

Umar Al-Sheikh; Lijun Kang

doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.026

Mechanosensation: Alpha-7 nAChR transduces sound signals in earless C. elegans

Neuron. 2021 Nov 17;109(22):3539-3541. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.026.

Authors

Umar Al-Sheikh¹, Lijun Kang²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurosurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 310053, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310053, China.
² Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurosurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 310053, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310053, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 34793704
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.026

Abstract

How do organisms without specialized auditory systems perceive and transduce sound? In this issue of Neuron, Iliff et al. (2021) investigate the functional mechanism of airborne sound sensation in Caenorhabditis elegans and highlight the crucial role of alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits in mechanotransduction.

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MeSH terms

Animals
Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins* / genetics
Mechanotransduction, Cellular
Receptors, Nicotinic* / metabolism
alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

Substances

Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
Receptors, Nicotinic
alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor